Coin collecting means



Match 31, 1942. c. KLEMT comcoLLEcT ING MEANS- 2* Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 14, 1940 0/1 ar/ie M97511 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 31, 1942. c. KLEMT COIN COLLECTING MEANS Filed March 14, 1940 p/7//// /f////// 7/////// /F Char/1's K/emf' Patented Mar. 31, 1942 UNETED STATE s PATENT OFFICE COIN COLLECTING llIEAN S Charlie Klemt, San Antonio, Tex; assignor of two-fifths to Paul H. Kruse, San Antonio, Tex.

Application March 14, 1940, SerialNo. 323,898

12 Claims. (Cl. 232-16) 2,113,989, of April 12, 1938 but the invention also aims to provide a new and improved construction.

In carrying out the above end, further objects of the invention are to provide a novel construction in which there is practically no likelihood of anyone stealing coins without detection while making collection; to provide for easier and more rapid connection of the collection head with any parking meter or other machine from which a collection is to be made; to provide a readily portable collection device whichmay be easily moved from one machine to another; and to provide a novel construction which may conveniently include a coin inspection device, which device may well embody means for ejecting slugs.

With the foregoing in View, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view, the coin collecting head and coacting portion of the parking meter being shown in juxtaposition.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view similar to a portion of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2 but cutting also through the collection head and showing this head in readiness for connection with the meter to receive coins from the latter.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but illustrating the head connected with the meter, the parts being all arranged in coin discharge position.

Figure 5 is a vertical section substantially on line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a detail vertical section showing a slight modification.

In the drawings above briefly described, a.

variations may be made.

A parking meter 2 is disclosed connected by a vertically elongated hollow coupling 2| with a supporting post 22, and the present invention is related with said coupling in the present disclosure. The upper end of the coupling is engaged with the meter 20 in any suitable way, for instancaby fitting into a downwardly projecting hub 23 on the meter and being locked with set screws 24. The lower end of the coupling in Figs. 3 and 4, for example, is shown fitting into the upper end of the post 22 and split at 25 for tight expansion into said post. A Wedge '26 movable upwardly by means of a screw 21 is shown for expanding the lowerend of the couplingtightly within the post 22.

One side of the coupling 2! is provided with a vertically elongated opening 28 having an outwardly movable closure 29 which is preferably hinged at 30 to said coupling, the hinge being at the upper end of the closure. This closure carries a coin discharge chute 38 which also forms a receiver into which the coins fall from the parking meter 20, said chutefiil being normally substantially vertically disposed within the coupling 2!. While the upper and lower ends of the chute 30 are open, the lower end of said chute normally overlies a fixed bottom 3| formed in the lower portion of the coupling 2! so' that the coins will become stacked upon said bottom within said chute as they are received from the meter 20. The closure 2% is provided with a vertical web 32 which projectsinwardly beyond the coin chute 30, the lower edge of said web being provided with a notch 33. This notch normally receives a locking arm .35 on the inner end of a lock 34, said lock being of the cylinder type and being mounted in the coupling 2% below the opening 28. The keyhole of the lock 34 is shown at 35 and when the proper key is inserted into this look and the lock cylinder turned to swing the arm 34 out of the notch 33, the closure 23, chute 30 and web 32 may swing outwardly as shown in .Fig. 4. Gravity may be relied upon to outwardly swing these parts but I have shown a spring 36 forthis purpose. Afterthe closure 29 swings outwardly, a portion of the web 32 interferes with any possible movement of the arm 34 back to closure-locking position until the closure 29 is completely closed. This is of importance as the key 31 for releasing the lock and relocking it, constitutes a connector between a coin-collecting head 38 and the coupling 2|, and if it were possible to turn the key 37 to closure locked position during discharge of coins, the head 38 could be withdrawn from the machine and the coins stolen.

The coupling 21 is provided with a flat vertical surface 39 to abut a corresponding surface 4%} on the collection head 38, the keyhole 35 being exposed at said surface 39 while the key 3'! projects beyond said surface 46. The head 38 is provided with projecting guide means preferably consisting of two pins 4| parallel with and projecting outwardly further than the key 37, said guide pins being receivable in openings 42 which are formed in the couping 2| and open through the surface 39. Thus, by pushing the pins 4| into the openings 42 with the key 31 properly positioned, this key will enter the keyhole 35 without attention.

In the present disclosure, the key 31 is rotatably mounted in an opening 43 which is formed in the head 38 and opens through the surface 40. Head 38 is also formed with a slot 44 which extends from the opening 43 through one side of said head. A lateral handle 45 is secured to the inner end of the key 31 and passes through and beyond the slot 44. When this handle is pulled up to the end of the slot 44, the key 3'! is properly positioned for insertion into the keyhole 35, and by pushing said handle downwardly, the key turns the lock cylinder to swing the locking arm 34 out of th notch 33, permitting the closure 29, coin chute 36 and web 32 to swing outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 4. As is customary with cylinder locks, the key 31 cannot be withdrawn from the lock until the lock cylinder is returned to closure-locking position. Thus, as long as the closure is unlocked, the key 31 connects the collection head 38 with the coupling 2|. Any attempt to turn the key 3'! back to closure-locked position while the head 33 is engaged with the coupling 2|, simply causes arm 34 to strike part of the web 32, prohibiting the operation. It is thus insured that the collection head 38 cannot be detached from the coupling 2| until the closure 29 has been closed and locked in closed position, and by this time, all coins received by the collection head have descended and are inaccessible to the collector, as will hereinafter appear.

The collection head 38 is formed with a coin receiving and conducting passage 46 to align with the chute 36 when the closure 29 is outwardly swung, and the lower end of said passage 46 communicates with a flexibl metal hose 41. This hose, in the present disclosure, extendsto a coin viewing device 48 in which it is possible to see any slugs which may have been deposited in the meter, and from which said slugs may be removed. The device 48 forms the subject matter of a separate invention and hence, will not be described or illustrated in detail. From this device, another flexible metal hose 49 extends downwardly to a suitable coin receptacle which is preferably mounted on main wheels 5| and auxiliary wheels 52, said receptacle being preferably provided with a standard 53 which carries the device 43. This standard may Well be provided with a grip or other handle 54 permitting the wheeled carrier to be readily drawn or pushed from one machine to another, positioned upon all four of its wheels during collection, and tilted only onto the main wheels 5| for movement.

The top surface 55 of th head 38 which coacts with the lower surfaces of the closure 29 and chute 30, is concave in all directions in the present disclosure, and the corresponding surfaces 55 of the closure and coin chute are convex in all directions. Thus, even if the surfaces 55 and 56 do not tightly fit against each other, it is impossible to withdraw any coin edgewise between them, due to their curvatures.

A Y-shaped member 51 is pivotally mounted in the slot 58 in the outer portion of the collection head 38, the pivot of said member being shown at 59. This member 5'! normally occupies the position shown in Fig. 3, with one of its arms 60 projecting above the surface 55 of the head 38 and its other arm 6| extending into the passage 46 in a position below said surface 55. Thus, when the closure 29 swings outwardly, said closure will strike the arm 60 and swing the entire member 51 to the position shown in Fig. 4. When in this position, the arm 6| is received in a socket 62 in the lower end of the closure 29. The lower end of the member 51 has a loose pivotal connection at 63 with a guard member 64 which is pivotally mounted at 65 in the collection head 38, below said member 51. When this member 51 is in its normal position with the arm 66 projecting upwardly in readiness to be struck by the closure 29, the guard 64 projects into the coin conducting passage 46 as seen in Fig. 3. The parts under consideration act as a safeguard against theft of coins, as described below.

Should a dam of rags, paper or the like he crammed into the passage 46 in such position that the dam would force the guard 64 outwardly from the normal position shown in Fig. 4, in an attempt to have the dam catch some of the coins instead of permitting them to descend to the collection receptacle, said movement of the guard 64 would cause the arm 6| of the member 51 to project upwardly beyond the surface of the collection head 38' and one edge of this arm would then constitute a stop portion to prevent such opening of the closure 29 as to permit coins to discharge from the chute 30 into the passage 46. Should the collector contrive in any other way to have some of the coins trapped in the passage 46, the trapped coins would prevent the guard 64 from moving inwardly into said passage 46. The other edge of finger 6| would then constitute a second stop portion prohibiting closing of the closure 29 and removal of the head 38 from the machine.

To prevent removal of anything crammed into the flexible hose 4! in an endeavor to trap some of the coins therein, suitable guard needles 66 have been shown to catch anything inserted and prevent withdrawal thereof, giving evidence of the attempt at stealing the coins.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects of the invention, and while preferred features have been illustrated and above described, attention is again invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the invention as claimed. In this connection, attention is invited to Fig. 6 showing a different manner of connecting the coupling 2| with the post 22. In this view, the head of a T-bolt 6'! is welded in the post 22, said bolt projecting upwardly through an opening in the lower end of the coupling 2| and being provided with a nut 68. When this construction is used, the coupling 2| may well be provided with a flange 69 surrounding the upper end of the post 22. A spring (not shown) may be provided to normally hold the key handle 45 at the upper end of the slot 44, and may be of such strength to turn the lock cylinder to locked position when closure 29 is pushed shut.

What is claimed is:

1. In a means for collecting coins from a machine having an opening from its interior to its exterior, a closure normally closing said opening and mounted for outward movement to a projecting position, said closure having a coin discharge chute disposed normally within the machine, the lower end of said coin discharge chute being movable beyond the exterior of the machine when said closure moves to said projecting position.

2. In a means for collecting coins from a machine having an opening from its interior to its exterior, a closure normally closing said opening and mounted for outward movement to a projecting position, said closure having a coin discharge chute disposed normally within the machine, the lower end of said coin discharge chute being movable beyond the exterior of the machine when said closure moves to said projecting position, a key-actuated lock for locking said closure in closed position, said lock having a key-hole which opens through the exterior of the machine, a coin-collecting member having a head to be manually moved to a collecting position against the machine under the aforesaid opening, said head having a coin-receiving and conducting passage to aline' with the lower end of said coin discharge chute when said closure is opened, a key rotatably carried by said head and projecting beyond the same for reception in said key-hole, whereby said key is operable to connect said head with the machine and to unlock the aforesaid lock, and means for preventing turning of said key to a position permitting removal from said key-hole until said closure is restored to closed position.

3. A structure as specified in claim 2; said lock being provided with a swingable arm within the machine cooperable with a portion of said closure to lock the latter, said closure being provided with a stop which abuts said arm and prevents return of said key to said closure-locked position while said closure is open, whereby the key cannot be withdrawn from the key-hole and said head detached from the machine until said closure is closed and locked.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1; said closure having a pivot at its upper end about which it swings during said outward movement, the lower end of said coin chute and closure being convexly curved in a direction concentric with said closure pivot and being also convexly curved in a direction transverse to said concentric direction, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a device for collecting coins from a machine, a collection head having a vertical face to abut the machine, said head being provided with a top surface and with a coin-receiving passage which opens through said top surface, said top surface being of concave form for the purpose set forth.

6. In a machine from which coins are to be collected, said machine having a hollow portion provided with an opening from-its interior to its exterior; a closure for said opening, said closure being provided with a coin discharge chute disposed normally within said hollow portion of the machine, said chute being open at both its upper and lower ends, a bottom for said chute fixedly mounted in said hollow portion of the machine, said chute being outwardly movable from said bottom beyond said hollow portion of the machine as said closure is opened, and locking means for said closure.

'7. In a machine from which coins are to be collected, said machine having a hollow portion provided with an opening from its interior to its exterior; a closure for said opening, said closure being provided with a coin discharge chute disposed normally within said hollow portion of the machine, said chute being open at both its upper and lower ends, a bottom for said chute fixedly mounted in said hollow portion of the machine, said chute being outwardly movable from said bottom beyond said hollow portion of the machine as said closure is opened, a lock for said closure having a keyhole which opens through the exterior of the machine, said lock having a swingable arm cooperable with a portion of said closure to lock the latter, said closure being provided with a stop which abuts said arm and prevents return of said key to closure-locked position while said closure is open.

8. In a machine from which coins are to be collected, said machine having a hollow portion provided with an opening from its interior to its exterior; a closure for said opening hingedly connected at its upper end with the machine, said closure being provided with a substantially vertical coin discharge chute disposed normally within said hollow portion of the machine, said chute being open at both its upper and lower ends, said closure being also provided with a vertical web extending inwardly from said coin chute and formed with a notch, locking means for said closure including a member receivable in said notch, and a bottom for said chute fixedly mounted in said hollow portion, said chute being outwardly movable from said bottom when said closure is unlocked and swung outwardly.

9. In a machine fromwhich coins are to be collected, said machine having a hollow portion provided with an opening from its interior to its exterior; a closure for said opening hingedly connected at its upper end with the machine, said closure being provided with a substantially vertical coin discharge chute disposed normally within said hollow portion of the machine, said chute being open at both its upper and lower ends, said closure being also provided with a vertical web extending inwardly from said coin chute and formed with a notch, a lock having a swingable locking arm in said hollow portion and swingable normally into said notch to lock said closure, said lock having a keyhole opening through the exterior of said hollow portion, said web having a portion which abuts said arm when the closure is swung outwardly and prevents turning of the key to closure-locked position until said closure is closed, and a bottom for said chute fixedly mounted in said hollow portion, said chute being outwardly movable from said bottom when said closure is unlocked and swung outwardly.

10. A device for collecting coins from a machine having a closure outwardly movable to a coin discharging position; said device comprising a collection head to fit against the machine under said closure, said head having a coin receiving and conducting passage, means for locking said head to the machine, a movable member carried by said head and movable from a normal position to a second position under the influence of the opening movement of said closure, said member being also movable from said second position back to said normal position under the influence of the closing movement of said closure, and a movably mounted guard operatively connected with said movable member for movement by means thereof and vice versa, said guard occupying a normal position projecting into said coin receiving and conducting passage whenever said movable member occupies said normal position, said movable member being provided with a stop portion which is positioned by movement of said guard to prevent complete opening of said closure if said guard be chocked in retracted position by damming said coin receiving and conducting passage before application of said head to the machine.

11. A device for collecting coins from a machine having a closure outwardly movable to a coin discharging position; said device comprising a collection head to fit against the machine under said closure, said head having a coin receiving and conducting passage, means for looking said head to the machine, a movable member carried by said head and movable from a normal position to a second position under the influence of the opening movement of said closure, said member being also movable from said second position back to said normal position under the influence of the closing movement of said closure, and a movably mounted guard operatively connected with said movable member for movement by means thereof and vice versa, said guard occupying a normal position projecting into said coin receiving and conducting passage whenever said movable member occupies said normal position, said movable member being provided with a stop portion which is positioned by movement of said guard to prevent closing said closure should the operator contrive to trap coins in said collecting and conducting passage and thus prohibit return of said guard to its normal position.

12. A device for collecting coins from a machine having a closure outwardly movable to a coin discharge position; said device comprising a collection head to fit against the machine under said closure, said head having a coin receiving and conducting passage, means for locking said head to the machine, a movable member carried by said head and movable from a normal position to a second position under the influence of the opening movement of said closure, said member being also movable from said second position back to said normal position under the influence of the closing movement of said closure, and a movably mounted guard operatively connected with said movable member for movement by means thereof and vice versa, said guard occupying a normal position projecting into said coin receiving and conducting passage whenever said movable member occupies said normal position, said movable member being provided with a stop portion which is positioned by said guard to prevent complete opening of said closure if said guard be checked in retracted position by damming said coin receiving and conducting passage before application of said head to the machine, said movable member being provided with another stop portion which is positioned by said guard to prevent closing said closure should the operative contrive to trap coins in said collecting and conducting passage and thus prohibit return of said guard to its normal position.

CHARLIE KLEMT. 

